Overlander, new “affordable” Earthroamer type rig

[pugslyyy]

We do not know that for sure. The website lacks details. It is a positive that there is more competition in this market segment. Especially now the ER is clearly overpriced for what it is.

It's really not the same market at all, IMHO. Kind of like saying you are glad that Ford is making the Fiesta because Ferarris are now so clearly overpriced.

Nothing wrong with either - very different products with very different feature sets and pricepoints for very different customers.

 

[38snubby]

It's really not the same market at all, IMHO. Kind of like saying you are glad that Ford is making the Fiesta because Ferarris are now so clearly overpriced.

Nothing wrong with either - very different products with very different feature sets and pricepoints for very different customers.

That is ridiculous. Exactly what does the ER offer that is not in that truck? Oh hold the phone it is missing the wine rack.

Both are the same truck so I am still trying to understand how to validate your Fiesta to Ferrari comparison. It's not like the ER has ultra complex engineering baked in and at the end of the day it is an absurdly overpriced boutique vehicle that needs to be brought down to earth (no pun intended ) by competition and that is exactly what I see happening here.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

That is ridiculous. Exactly what does the ER offer that is not in that truck? Oh hold the phone it is missing the wine rack.

Both are the same truck so I am still trying to understand how to validate your Fiesta to Ferrari comparison. It's not like the ER has ultra complex engineering baked it at the end of the day it is an absurdly overpriced boutique vehicle that needs to be brought down to earth (no pun intended ) by competition and that is exactly what I see happening here.

It's hard to know what the differences are because both builders only offder limited info on whats what...

It's annoying, and if i had the $ and was in the market, i'd want to know exactly what I'm getting

Example: "3.5in Suspension Lift" ummmm ok what is it.. spacers? custom springs? tuned shocks? air bags? full air suspension?

The sparse details are for obvious reasons, to try to deter others from stealing their secret sauce i suppose, but its a really dumb tactic leaving out details like that.

GXV gives limited details on their "Offroad Package" for the Adventure Trucks on the Ram chassis, other than "custom"

Had one of their guys get all pissy with a buddy of mine at Overland Expo trying to get photos underneath it to figure out what the hell the suspension is, because no one seems to know.

Company brings vehicle to expo, gets butthurt when someone tries to take pics underneath... Ummm... Odd

For each is own...

 

[pugslyyy]

That is ridiculous. Exactly what does the ER offer that is not in that truck? Oh hold the phone it is missing the wine rack.

Both are the same truck so I am still trying to understand how to validate your Fiesta to Ferrari comparison. It's not like the ER has ultra complex engineering baked it at the end of the day it is an absurdly overpriced boutique vehicle that needs to be brought down to earth (no pun intended ) by competition and that is exactly what I see happening here.

Ah okay, if you are just shopping for the cheapest RV on an F-550 chassis then for sure buy the "Overlander". The rest is just sour grapes.

 

[38snubby]

It's hard to know what the differences are because both builders only offder limited info on whats what...

It's annoying, and if i had the $ and was in the market, i'd want to know exactly what I'm getting

Example: "3.5in Suspension Lift" ummmm ok what is it.. spacers? custom springs? tuned shocks? air bags? full air suspension?

The sparse details are for obvious reasons, to try to deter others from stealing their secret sauce i suppose, but its a really dumb tactic leaving out details like that.

GXV gives limited details on their "Offroad Package" for the Adventure Trucks on the Ram chassis, other than "custom"

Had one of their guys get all pissy with a buddy of mine at Overland Expo trying to get photos underneath it to figure out what the hell the suspension is, because no one seems to know.

Company brings vehicle to expo, gets butthurt when someone tries to take pics underneath... Ummm... Odd

For each is own...

It is odd I would agree. I was able to figure out how ER gets the four way leveling feature by zooming in on a video someone took of the interior. They use a system made by a lowrider company out of LA. At the end of the day these companies use mostly over the counter parts they source from other vendors. With a little bit of homegrown tech baked in. That said I think GXV is the best of the domestic expo manufacturers but they are still a long way off of the Euro brands.

Ah okay, if you are just shopping for the cheapest RV on an F-550 chassis then for sure buy the "Overlander". The rest is just sour grapes.

So you clearly have some bias towards ER maybe it is because you own one who knows. I have seen this type of snobbery before as I have worked in the high end automotive industry. Guys get very protective of their territory when a new dog shows up on the block. Especially when it has the potential to be as disruptive to the market as this vehicle does.

There is no way that you could have any idea how the Overlander is made and as far as I know nobody here has seen a completed model yet. The interior 3D walk through shows a very nice interior so I beg to differ.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

It is odd I would agree. I was able to figure out how ER gets the four way leveling feature by zooming in on a video someone took of the interior. They use a system made by a lowrider company out of LA. At the end of the day these companies use mostly over the counter parts they source from other vendors. With a little bit of homegrown tech baked in. That said I think GXV is the best of the domestic expo manufacturers but they are still a long way off of the Euro brands.

Agreed, there is zero proprietary parts exclusive to either.

ER uses the Kelderman air setup

GXV seems to be using a mish mash of Buckstop spacer lift Parts and some of the adjustable bits from "Dodge Offroad". Both adding obscene premiums on all these parts.

I know this because I have a 5500 on order, and will be building it all up myself and been doing extensive research!

So you clearly have some bias towards ER maybe it is because you own one who knows. I have seen this type of snobbery before as I have worked in the high end automotive industry. Guys get very protective of their territory when a new dog shows up on the block. Especially when it has the potential to be as disruptive to the market as this vehicle does.

There is no way that you could have any idea how the Overlander is made and as far as I know nobody here has seen a completed model yet. The interior 3D walk through shows a very nice interior so I beg to differ.

Also agreed. A few folks here, just love to argue for the sake of arguing. Its coming on all forums. I just chuckle and move along.

 

[pugslyyy]

So you clearly have some bias towards ER maybe it is because you own one who knows. I have seen this type of snobbery before as I have worked in the high end automotive industry. Guys get very protective of their territory when a new dog shows up on the block. Especially when it has the potential to be as disruptive to the market as this vehicle does.

There is no way that you could have any idea how the Overlander is made and as far as I know nobody here has seen a completed model yet. The interior 3D walk through shows a very nice interior so I beg to differ.

A simple review of the Adventurer Manufacturing website will provide you all the information you need on their builds! I'd actually be really interested to see a price sheet and know where their prices end up at when "nicely equipped".

Yes, it's a nice RV interior - traditional RV construction with typical RV systems. Looking at their interior imagery, propane cooktop, propane fridge, black water tank, etc. It's how they reach their pricepoint. There's nothing wrong with their product, but you just can't compare it to the effort and materials that go into building an EarthRoamer or similar.

 

[gregmchugh]

A simple review of the Adventurer Manufacturing website will provide you all the information you need on their builds! I'd actually be really interested to see a price sheet and know where their prices end up at when "nicely equipped".

Yes, it's a nice RV interior - traditional RV construction with typical RV systems. Looking at their interior imagery, propane cooktop, propane fridge, black water tank, etc. It's how they reach their pricepoint. There's nothing wrong with their product, but you just can't compare it to the effort and materials that go into building an EarthRoamer or similar.

Yes, it appears to be a pretty standard RV construction mounted on a heavier duty chassis than used for most truck campers with the goal of “off road” use. It would be good to check the actual cargo carrying capacity to insure that you will not be running close to or above GVWR which can be an issue with the Ford F550 builds. May not be an issue with the Overlander since the RV type cabin construction is probably lighter than a typical expedition vehicle. Our GXV Patagonia is on a Kenworth K-370 33,000 lb GVWR chassis and we are not near that weight. Looking at the construction of a Kenworth K-370 vs a Ford F550 you will see that the Kenworth is designed as a commercial truck from the start rather than an upsized pickup truck.

The more expensive expedition vehicle options will be built using molded cabins with significant insulation (EarthRoamer and EarthCruiser as examples) or a cabin constructed from insulated panels (GXV and the European models and Total Composites as examples) and either of these methods can provide a superior structural strength and insulation value compared to a traditional RV. The use of insulated panels allows much more customer customization vs the molded cabin options. GXV builds the UXV and UXV Max models which are similar in design to the EarthRoamer and EarthRoamer HD using insulated panels at a lower price point than EarthRoamer. Not sure of the cabin mounting on the Overlander chassis but it should be designed to handle the flex of the F550 frame. The interior of the more expensive options will be constructed in a way that will not be affected by “off road” travel. Standard RV interior construction will not typically survive much bouncing around without stuff coming loose over time.

I think that you are paying significant overhead for an EarthRoamer due to it’s glitz factor but the options from GXV are focused on functionality without the extra cost of the glitz unless that is what you choose as an option. For us, a GXV seemed to provide the right value for the price but we were not looking at the option of building one ourself. For others, the added price of an EarthRoamer is not an issue it would seem, they appear to have no trouble finding customers.

 

[michaeldorian]

Not to derail the thread but Tiger also just recently showed their redesign Siberian expedition truck. Looks pretty good. I believe it’s priced much more competitive compared to Earth Roamer.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[calicamper]

I sail on salt water meaning if I drop $100+k on a “Adventure” rig I can travel the world. I get the cool factor of these RVs and hope some ideas get picked up by the Winnebago’s and Forest whatever’s to improve RV quality and get away from the disposable RV trend. But when average Joe’s can spend a yr plus exploring North America in a used RV they bought on Craigs list. Whats the attraction of these 100,000-700,000 rolling boxes? Other than being cool looking?

When I travel I like going under the radar. Not going hey look at me I’m traveling in a vehicle worth more than your Towns GDP.

 

[gregmchugh]

Not to derail the thread but Tiger also just recently showed their redesign Siberian expedition truck. Looks pretty good. I believe it’s priced much more competitive compared to Earth Roamer.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Are you sure they are re-introducing the Siberian?

This looks like an old video from when they changed the Siberian design a long time ago before they discontinued it...

 

[gregmchugh]

I sail on salt water meaning if I drop $100+k on a “Adventure” rig I can travel the world. I get the cool factor of these RVs and hope some ideas get picked up by the Winnebago’s and Forest whatever’s to improve RV quality and get away from the disposable RV trend. But when average Joe’s can spend a yr plus exploring North America in a used RV they bought on Craigs list. Whats the attraction of these 100,000-700,000 rolling boxes? Other than being cool looking?

When I travel I like going under the radar. Not going hey look at me I’m traveling in a vehicle worth more than your Towns GDP.

Lot’s of people travel full time in high end 40+ ft Diesel Pusher motorhomes that cost as much or more than our GXV, we decided a smaller RV built to higher quality standards and able to go anywhere we want to go made more sense for us. Not a big market for them here but enough to keep a few companies in business in the US. Many more companies in Europe build them for world travelers who we run into regularly in our travels in the US and Canada.

Clearly not your cup of tea but that’s why there are different strokes for different folks...

 

[38snubby]

Are you sure they are re-introducing the Siberian?

This looks like an old video from when they changed the Siberian design a long time ago before they discontinued it...

They aren't it says right in the title that it is a discontinued model.

 

[waveslider]

I sail on salt water meaning if I drop $100+k on a “Adventure” rig I can travel the world. I get the cool factor of these RVs and hope some ideas get picked up by the Winnebago’s and Forest whatever’s to improve RV quality and get away from the disposable RV trend. But when average Joe’s can spend a yr plus exploring North America in a used RV they bought on Craigs list. Whats the attraction of these 100,000-700,000 rolling boxes? Other than being cool looking?

When I travel I like going under the radar. Not going hey look at me I’m traveling in a vehicle worth more than your Towns GDP.

I would argue that the average joe cannot explore North America in a used RV they bought on Craigslist. They might be able to drive around North America staying in RV campsites but for many that doesn't equate to "exploring".

The same way you wouldn't take a boat suitable for cruising the intercoastal waterway through the Drake passage. They are different experiences with different requirements for your equipment. The places I've already taken my truck in the short time I've owned it would have literally dismantled your average "Used RV bought off Craigslist". Heck I wouldn't have even tried much of these places in the SMB - because it would have rattled apart but that's a different story.

Is this new Overlander just a tarted up cheap RV? I have no idea.....I simply know that comparing used RVs on Craigslist with a functional Expo vehicle is misleading.

 

[calicamper]

I would argue that the average joe cannot explore North America in a used RV they bought on Craigslist. They might be able to drive around North America staying in RV campsites but for many that doesn't equate to "exploring".

The same way you wouldn't take a boat suitable for cruising the intercoastal waterway through the Drake passage. They are different experiences with different requirements for your equipment. The places I've already taken my truck in the short time I've owned it would have literally dismantled your average "Used RV bought off Craigslist". Heck I wouldn't have even tried much of these places in the SMB - because it would have rattled apart but that's a different story.

Is this new Overlander just a tarted up cheap RV? I have no idea.....I simply know that comparing used RVs on Craigslist with a functional Expo vehicle is misleading.

Last I checked every major part of North america was accessible via paved roads. Alaska being the last to get paved roads.
So what I hear you saying is that people must drive their large vehicle up a dirt spur road to qualify as traveling and exploring North America? They cant take tours, go backpacking, cycling, horse back, ATV fly to see more remote places once they arrive?